Vehicle-spring.



B. L. RINEHART.

VEHICLE SPRING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 191s,

Patented Apr. 28, 1914..

4-llilli. IIII,E

8 m @L Y Wil/Swansea c UNITED STATES PATENT onirica BENTLBY'LL einsamer; or PHILADELPHlA; PnNNsYLvANIA.. i

VEHICLE-SPRINGS Specification of Letters Patent. Applicaton'filed 'March' 13, 191,3.l Serial N'o. 753,931.

Patented Apr. 28'; .1914:

T0 all 'whom it may concern.'

Be itknown that I, BENTLEYA L. BINE- -HART, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city and county of'Philadel phia, State of Pennsylvania, have inventedl `ing proper. resilience fo-ra full or heavy load is stili.` and nonuesilient with a light'V It.is the obiectfofmy invention to make.

the resilience of thespringadapt i'tself"au.

. tomatically to the load, havingvr amaxmum resilience for the lightestzloadand .decreasing in resilience as the loadincreases: even, if desired, to such. anextent'thatunder abnormal conditions =itwill act asa' shock abf sorber. To accomplish-this result I' form the spring of. leaves of decreasing length and curvature connected together at the middle but with their' outer ends free, so

. that only those leaves are brought into action which are necessary to sustain the load. This also makes itpossible to add any number of' additional leaves which are never in action under normal conditions, but act as shock absorbers when the vehicle passes over unusual bumps or depressions;

My invention' also includes means for automatically lubricating -the leaves -of the spring to keep them freeand in operative condition, and means for protecting them from external contamination by mud and dust.

In the drawings: Figure l is a front ele-A vation of the spring with the inclosing casing and supporting axle shown in section; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section on the line A-A' of Fig. 2 on an enlarged scale; and Fig.y 4'is a similar view on the line B-B ofV Fig. 2.

The spring is composed, ofa series of leaves a, a', a2, at, &c., fastened together at -the center, but otherwise free. Each leaf is a complete spring in itself,A and is preferably made of sheet steel of uniform thickness wide at the middle and tapering :toward the ends. The narrowing of the leaves from the center toward'the ends makes each leaf a-perfect'spring throughout, the width atv anyA point being proportional to the length and leverage from the center. There :1s .consequently a perfect spring action at `all'pyoi'nts, which would .not be the case if l the leaves were of uniform Width' or weight o'fI metal' throughout their length. The leaves are curved upward; the radius of cur- =vature andthe length increasingfrom the b 'a-se.l Thus the ends-of the leaves on both sides be ondtthescentral connection are enti'reljl7` free"` from one another, the interven ing spaces between adjacent leaves increasing: with' the radius; The springl thus formed is yfastened `atthe middle to the axle b, in' any suitable-manner, as by clips c and bolts d.; The topmost leaf-a is attached at its ends', as byj the links e, to the frame f of thefupper body of-thekvehicle Extending.l thro-ugh the middle of the spring frn'iedbyl the lseries ofleaves and i through,l `the axle.y is la cylinderfg.l supportedat the bottom by the clipc, and extending-at theI top'into an elastic bumper g. Within this cylinderv 'is a plunger it held by a spring 71, in the cylinder in a raised 'position with its` upper .n end protruding' through the bumper' l Atthebase of the'cylinder-g, is an outlet z', controlled -by' a'eheck-valve `1'."'leading to a'k tube j 'having branches extending up adi jacent 'to the ends' ofthe leavesv a, a &e. of the spring- Thesebranchesareprovided with orifices through which oil rmay be, sqllirtedv between the' leaves of 'the springzinthe manner described hereinafter.

The spring is inclosed inlafcollapsiblggs) cover 7c, which may be made of-`canvas or other fabricl treated to make itfoiland water proof. On the bottom of the cover is "a pan m which acts as an oil reservoir.

In the bottom of the clip 0 is an' inlet fromL the pan m controlled by a checki' valve o.

On the frame fofthenpper body ofthe vehicle is a bumper p' arrangedabove and adapted' to make contact with the axle bumper g'""and the plunger h. The ,cylinder g, and. pan m contain sufficient oil for lubricating the leaves of the spring.

The load on the body of the vehicle depressing `the frame f acts first on the upper leaf a, which is in itself a complete'spring capable of"v sustaining. a` proportionate weight. As the load increases beyond the power of the upper leaf a to sustain it, that leaf is forced into contact with the second leaf a and the two leaves a and a then act together as a spring to sustain the load, and as the load increases additional leaves are similarly brought into action and the spring power is increased relatively to the load. At no time however are more leaves or spring members in action than the load actually requires. A great advantage oic this construction is that more leaves or springs may be used than the normal maximum load requires. These extra leaves do vnot decrease the resiliency of the spring under normal conditions, but are present to come into action as shock absorbers under abnormal conditions, as when the vehicle strikes a bump or depression in the road.

VVhen the spring is iiattened to such an extent that the upper bumper p strikes the plungerli, the latter will be pushed down against the action of the'spring 7L', and oil will be forced through the outlet z' and valve z" into the pipes j and between the leaves of the spring as they separate after the shock. "When the plunger rises under the action of the spring la it will suck in oil from the pan m through the inlet n and check valve o, thus refilling the cylinder g. rlhe oil that is squirted upon the leavesof the spring by the action of the plunger 7L iiows baclr by gravity into the pan fm.

The cover 7c prevents the spring from becoming Yfouled with mud and dust and en ables the lubrication to be eiected.

lllhat I claim is as follows:

l. ffl vehicle spring consisting of a plu-v rality of flat leaves of decreasing length and curvature cach narrowing in width from the middle toward the ends, said `leaves being secured together at the middle but being ree and separating from one another from' the point of connection at the middle toward the ends so as to form intervening spaces between the iiat faces of adjacent leaves, said faces of adjacent leaves being brought into contact when the spring is compressed.

2. A vehicle spring consisting of a plurality o't flat leaves of decreasing length and curvature each narrowing in width from thevmiddle toward the ends and the width at any point being proportional to the length and leverage from the middle, said leaves being secured together at the middle but being i'ree and separatingfrom one another from the point oi' connection at the middle toward the ends so as to form intervening spaces between the llat faces oi' adjacent leaves, said faces ot adjacent leaves being brought into contact when the spring is compressed.

3. The combination with the body ot a vehicle and its wheel-axle, of a spring consisting et' a plurality 'oi' leaves of decreasing ipe/rela length and curvature secured together at the middle to the axle and having their ends free and separated from one another so as to form intervening spaces between adjacent leaves with the ends of the upper leal1 connected with the body of the vehicle, and xneans to introduce a lubricant in the intervening spaces between said leaves actuated by the body. of the vehicle.

l. The combination with the body of a vehicle and its wheel-axle, of. a spring con sisting ot a plurality of leaves of decreasing Ilength and curvature secured together at the middleA to thek axle and having their ends free and separated from one another so as to form intervening spaces between adjacent leaves 'with the ends of the upper leaf connected with the body of the vehicle,

,an oil. pump within the middle of said spring and axle actuated-by the contact oit the body of the vehicle for introducing oil to the inte.1 l:ening spaces between the leaves of the spring.

5. The combination with the body of a vehicle and its wheel-axle, of a spring consisting of a plurality of leaves of decreasing length and curvature secured together -at the middle to thel axle and having their ends free and separated from one another so as to form intervening spaces between adjacent leaves ivith the ends of the upper leaf connected with the body of the vehicle, a cylinder extending through said axle and the middle of the spring adapted to contain oil, and a plunger in said cylinder `actuated by the contact oi' the vehicle body to eject oil: upon the leaves of the spring.

The combination with the body of a vehicle and its wheel-axle, oi' a spring consisting of a plurality of leaves of decreasing length and curvature secured together at the middle to the axle and having their ends ree and separated from one another so as 'to form intervening spaces between adjacent leaves with the ends oi" the upper leaf connected with the body of the vehicle, a cylinder extending through said axle and the middle of the spring adapted to contain oil and having spray tubes extending to the leaves of the spring, and a plunger in said cylinder actuated by the contact of the vehicle body to eject oil upon the leaves of the spring. 4 j

T. 'llhe combination with the body of a vehicle and its wheel-axle, of spring consisting of a plurality et leaves of decreasing length and curvature secured together at the middle to the axle and having their endsv liree and separated from one another so as to. form intervening spaces between adjai cent leaves with the ends of the upper leaf connected'with the body/ ofthe vehicle7 a cylinder extending through said aXle and the middle oi2 the spring adapted to contain oil7 and a plunger in said cylinder actuated by the Contact of the vehicle body to eject oilupon the leaves of the spring through said tubes, and a cover inclosing said spring.

8. The combination With the body of a vehicle and its Wheel-axle, of a spring consisting of a plurality of leaves of decreasing lengthand curvature 4secured together at the middle to the axle and having their ends free and separated from one another so as to` f0rm intervening spaces'between adjacent leaves With the ends of the upper leaf connected with the body of the vehicle,va cylinder extendingl through said axle and the middle of the spring adapted to contain oil, and a plunger in said cylinder actuated bythe contact of the vehicle body to eject oil upon the leaves of the spring through said tubes, and a cover inclosing said spring I having apan at the bottom adapted to re.

ceive the oil iowing back from the leaves of I the middle to the axle and having their ends separated'from one anotherto form intervening spaces between adjacentleaves with the ends of the upper leaf connectedto the body of the vehicle, and means to introduce a: lubricant in the intervening spaces between said leaves, said means being actuated by the body of the vehicle.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

BENTLEY L. RINEHART. -Witnesses v R. M.' KELLY,

E. W. SMrrH. 

